Friday, June 27, 2008

Twice as sharp?

Motorola RAZR2 V8, ups competitionIt took a ‘RAZR’ sharp swipe on the competitor’s market share on arrival. And while competitors still struggle to match its impact, Motorola is set for a sequel in the form of the RAZR2 V8! RAZR had been the hottest selling phone for Motorola with over 100 million units being sold till date. Of late, however, there was a decline in the cult following of RAZR. The report for the second quarter of 2007 by Gartner also reveals that Motorola’s global market share has fallen by a cataclysmic 7.3% to reach 14.6%, though it has retained the number two slot. Thus damage control is long overdue. In its second inning, RAZR2 V8 is slimmer, sleeker, and more stylish than RAZR and claimed to be ten times faster than the original RAZR. Proclaimed Malcolm Dawe, Vice President & General Manager, Motorola, “It comes with an ARM 11 processor that makes it the fastest mobile phone in the world at the moment.” The major disappointment for RAZR2 V8 is its camera – only 2 megapixel. But history reminds us that RAZR was able to emerge a winner without a megapixel camera. Motorola has launched RAZR2 V8 in India before anywhere else. It will certainly be looking at making a killing in the Indian market, especially after Nokia has confirmed India to be its second largest market. At its initial price of Rs .18,999, this phone obviously would not give returns in terms of market share to Motorola unless it manages to bring down prices quickly & maintain the wow factor. A lot will also depend on how competition retaliates to blunt its RAZR edge...